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Adjust Mouse Speed and Acceleration with xinput

Set libinput Accel Speed per device with xinput for finer pointer-speed control than the desktop slider.

LinuxdesktopxinputinputmouseLow risk
Run `xinput set-prop "<device name>" "libinput Accel Speed" -0.5` to slow the pointer down (values run from -1 to 1).

01Command

Command
$ xinput set-prop "pointer" "libinput Accel Speed" -0.5

02What it does

Find the exact device name with `xinput list`, then `xinput list-props "device"` shows every tunable property — including 'libinput Accel Speed' (pointer velocity, -1 slow to 1 fast) and 'libinput Natural Scrolling Enabled' (reverse wheel direction). The setting applies immediately and can go in a startup script since it does not persist. Note this is X11-only: on Wayland sessions xinput cannot change device properties.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementsxinput and the X11 session (does not affect Wayland, which needs desktop settings or a libinput config). List devices first: `xinput list`; list properties: `xinput list-props "device name"`.
!Warning: On Wayland (default on newer GNOME) xinput list may show devices but set-prop has no effect — use the desktop settings or log into an Xorg session for this to work.

04Undo

Undo
$ xinput set-prop "pointer" "libinput Accel Speed" 0

05Sources

  • xinput(1) - Linux manual page
    Ubuntu Manpages · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: xinput set-prop changes an input device property such as libinput Accel Speed; xinput list enumerates devices and list-props shows available properties.

Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: System & Settings